AllRespect.com // Review: Gwen Stefani/Akon at Save Mart Center

Posted on 2007-04-26 15:31:33
Artist/band(s): Gwen Stefani [FB]

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Source: http://www.fresnobeehive.com/archives/2007/04/review_gwen_ste.html

Review on The Sweet Escape Tour

Akon might be better than Gwen Stefani at this very moment when it comes to making hits and getting played on the radio. But when it comes to live performances, Tuesday night's concert at the Save Mart Center showed that Akon needs to spend their tour together studying Ms. Stefani. He can learn a thing or two from her about putting on a solid show.

Entrance
Akon: Before Akon took the stage, his mohawked DJ Benny D came out and tried to warm up the crowd by playing radio hits from Kelly Clarkson and Black Eyed Peas and urging the crowd to sing along. Excuse me, who thought this was a good idea?

Once Akon came out, he bounced around the stage to a reggae beat, then jumped into "Shake Down," an album cut. It took 10 minutes for him to even get to one of his hits, and that was only his part of Young Jeezy's "Soul Survivor." Come on, man. You got hits. Sing them. Most of these people don't have your album, they just know the songs on the radio.

Gwen: Out of nowhere, The Harajuku Girls, ran into the crowd from the side of the arena opposite the stage. Stefani's male dancers, dressed as police officers, tracked them through the crowd and eventually apprehended them, taking them on stage. Right on cue, Gwen appeared and busted into "Sweet Escape" while busting out of a jail cell. After that song, some Batman-esque music transitioned her into "Rich Girl" as she donned a cape and eventually exited through a bank vault. It was different, fun and came together well.

Set List
Akon: As his 40 minutes went by, it became increasingly clear that Akon depends on other people far too much in his songs. Hence the reason he did about 30 seconds of "I Tried," the song he did with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. He sang his hook. And that was that. "Smack That" isn't the same without Eminem. Nor is "I Wanna Love You," without Snoop.

Gwen: Let's be honest, Gwen's set relies on a pretty mediocre album. "The Sweet Escape" has some good songs, but there's some ehhhs in there, too. Plus, if you didn't know of her history with No Doubt, she did little to clue you in. She didn't dig into that songbook. It's understandable, but it's plausible that people would be disappointed too. But I'll give it to Gwen, she found ways to make a song I hate ("Wind It Up") sound good and a song I never wanted to hear again ("Hollaback Girl") tolerable.

Lip-syncing
Akon: The man who told me in an interview to see him live for proof that there's no studio effects on his voice, only proved that he can't sing live. It was especially evident during "Smack That" and "Don't Matter." At worst, he was lip-syncing poorly, at best he miffed singing live over a pre-recorded track a few times. Either way: Ehhhhh, Con!

Gwen: I'm not sure whether or not Gwen was lip-syncing. There were times when she obviously wasn't. There were times when it was tough to figure out. Either way, if she was, she hid it well and that's enough for me.

Banter
Akon: I shook my head when Akon tried to ask the crowd stuff like, who's from the ghetto and who's ever made it through a struggle. (People cheered, of course, but he could have asked "Who loves brussels sprouts?" and everybody would have cheered, that's just how people are at concerts). But come on, Akon, have some sense. Look at the crowd, it's dolled up white girls from North Fresno who were there mostly to see Gwen. Their struggle was trying to walk down the steps at Save Mart Center in high heels.

Gwen: A few songs in, Gwen said that people always look forward to shows in cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, but she knows the shows in cities like Fresno are always the best. Cheap? Sure. True? Maybe, maybe not, who knows. But did it work? Yes.

Guests
Akon: Fifteen minutes into his set, Akon brought up some artists from his label. I'd tell you their names, but I have no idea what they are. (Maybe they were a few of his wives?) They did some songs I've never heard. People sat down. Some went to the bathroom, or bought drinks. Point is: You're an opening act, Akon. You don't get to bring up no-names to share the stage while you take a break. That's not how these things work. Akon does, however, get credit for not dry-humping teenage girls.

Gwen: Her dancers were great, adding the right amount of flair to the show, but not overshadowing her. Plus, Stefani brought somebody from the crowd up to help her fix her dress when she had problems with it at one point. Oh, and Akon came out and helped during "The Sweet Escape." It was his best work of the night.

Overall:
Akon: One of the worst performances I've seen at the Save Mart Center. It was uninspired and unoriginal. Not quite as bad as last year's Rascal Flatts performance, but up there. Akon's definitely listen-to-the-CD guy, not a see-him-live guy.

Gwen: Much better than I thought she would be. Whoever put together the show should get the most props, everything was on point and entertaining. It didn't scream out spectacle like a Madonna concert, but it was very intense while still giving the vibe that it was a Gwen Stefani solo show, not a singing circus.

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